Maintenance Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Southwest Electric

Maintenance

The 5 W’s of Transformer Oil Analysis

The 5 W’s of Transformer Oil Analysis Transformer oil testing and analysis is often overlooked yet is an integral part of keeping your transformers maintained. The process is very similar to a blood test you might have performed by a doctor. The results tell us what is going on inside and give us the chance […]

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Your Electrical Distribution System Checklist

Industry retirements and maintenance department budget cuts often result in lost knowledge and documentation gaps that can be difficult to replace. Electrical department managers and employees can find themselves lacking the history and background needed to understand the critical systems that keep production moving. People often overlook the electrical distribution system until the lights go […]

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Neutral Grounding of Electrical Power Systems

To ground, or not to ground – that is the question.  There are many factors to consider before selecting the best method of neutral grounding for your electrical system.  This article discusses the requirements and techniques of four different methods of system grounding to help you choose which one is best for your needs. Background: […]

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3 Steps to 3 Phase Motor Rewinding

During the life span of every 3 phase electric AC motor, the stator windings will need to be rewound. The timing of a needed motor rewinding will vary according to the application and environment. Mechanical failures could also cause the rotor to fail unexpectedly, calling for a rewind. When stator windings do fail, there are […]

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5 Electrical Distribution System Mapping Methods

People often overlook the electrical distribution system until the lights go out and production comes to a standstill. When that happens, system drawings and operational plans are critical to recovery. In this article, we will discuss 5 electrical distribution system mapping methods to improve your electrical documentation on design, settings, and operational configurations. 1 – […]

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3 Avoidable Electric Motor Issues

The following article was previously published by Utilities Tech Outlook. Read the original article here. Electric motor owners often ask how long their motors will last under current conditions. Exact timelines can’t be determined, but identifying the most common, avoidable electric motor issues, we can prevent premature failures. Adhering to proper maintenance practices can extend run […]

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4 Common AC Motor Issues

Electrical AC motor issues can arise from a variety of causes and, if ignored, may result in equipment inefficiency or failure. Problems can happen with motors both used and new, from any manufacturer. It is important to know what kind of issues to look for. This allows you to begin to troubleshoot and increase your […]

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Top 5 Switchgear Preventative Maintenance Must-do’s

  If your facility’s priorities involve safety, extending equipment life, or meeting a budget, mastering switchgear preventative maintenance is essential to achieving your goals. This article will guide you through the five most important things to consider for switchgear PM.   1- Properly Isolate Your Switchgear Nothing is more important than safety, so knowing how […]

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The Right Way to Sample a Transformer

Transformer sampling is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to determine what is going on in our transformers, but it is important to sample correctly to make sure you get a good representative sample from the transformer. Don’t wait until the transformer fails to do this sampling – many of the high costs that […]

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How to Determine Transformer Criticality

Determining transformer criticality is an important step towards turning your existing maintenance plan (or lack of) into a reliability-centered maintenance program. The analysis will allow you to develop a custom plan that saves you money with minimal downtown. So, how do you go about determining transformer criticality? The question of what tests to pull and […]

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